In-vehicle component control user interface

ABSTRACT

A personal device may include a display and a processor. The processor of the personal device may be programmed to send, to the display, a vehicle interior map overlaid with indications of in-vehicle components, create a group of the in-vehicle components responsive to receipt of a swipe gesture to the display selecting a subset of the indications, receive input from the display of a location on the map, and aim outputs of the in-vehicle components of the group based on the location.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the disclosure generally relate to a user interface of apersonal device for zone-based or collective control of in-vehiclecomponents.

BACKGROUND

Sales of personal devices, such as smartphones and wearables, continueto increase. Thus, more personal devices are brought by users into theautomotive context. Smartphones can already be used in some vehiclemodels to access a wide range of vehicle information, to start thevehicle, and to open windows and doors. Some wearables are capable ofproviding real-time navigation information to the driver. Devicemanufacturers are implementing frameworks to enable a more seamlessintegration of their brand of personal devices into the drivingexperience.

SUMMARY

In a first illustrative embodiment, a system includes a personal deviceincluding a display; a processor, programmed to send, to the display, avehicle interior map overlaid with indications of in-vehicle components,create a group of the in-vehicle components responsive to receipt of agesture to the display selecting a subset of the indications, receiveinput from the display of a location on the map, and aim outputs of thein-vehicle components of the group based on the location.

In a second illustrative embodiment, a method includes displaying, on atouch screen, a vehicle interior map overlaid with indications ofin-vehicle components providing outputs within the vehicle interior;receiving touch input to the screen indicating a location on theinterior map to aim the in-vehicle components; and adjusting one or moreof spread, intensity and direction of outputs of the in-vehiclecomponents toward the location of the vehicle interior.

In a third illustrative embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readablemedium embodying instructions that, when executed by a processor of apersonal device, cause the personal device to: display a vehicleinterior map overlaid with indications of a group of in-vehiclecomponents providing outputs within the vehicle interior; receive inputindicating a location on the interior map to aim the in-vehiclecomponents; generate a first setting adjustment to a first in-vehiclecomponent of the group to aim the output of the first in-vehiclecomponent toward the location; and generate a second setting adjustmentto a second in-vehicle component of the group to aim the output of thesecond in-vehicle component toward the location, the second settingadjustment being different from the first setting adjustment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates an example system including a vehicle having a meshof in-vehicle components configured to locate and interact with usersand personal devices of the users;

FIG. 1B illustrates an example in-vehicle component equipped with awireless transceiver configured to facilitate detection of and identifyproximity of the personal devices;

FIG. 1C illustrates an example in-vehicle component requesting signalstrength from other in-vehicle components of the vehicle;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example user interface of the vehicle componentinterface application illustrating in-vehicle components detected by thepersonal device;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user interface of the vehicle componentinterface application illustrating the selection of in-vehiclecomponents;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example user interface of the vehicle componentinterface application illustrating selection of in-vehicle components tobe controlled in the functional entity mode;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example user interface of the vehicle componentinterface application illustrating a collection of in-vehicle componentsbeing controlled in the functional entity mode;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example user interface of the vehicle componentinterface application illustrating a collection of in-vehicle componentsbeing controlled in the functional entity mode using the handle control;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example user interface of the vehicle componentinterface application illustrating an alternate collection of in-vehiclecomponents being selected using a swipe gesture;

FIG. 8 illustrates an example user interface of the vehicle componentinterface application illustrating a collection of in-vehicle componentsdisplayed in the functional entity mode without the handle control;

FIG. 9 illustrates an example user interface of the vehicle componentinterface application illustrating a collection of in-vehicle componentsbeing controlled in the functional entity mode using the paintinginteraction paradigm;

FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface of the vehicle componentinterface application illustrating a collection of in-vehicle componentshaving been adjusted in the functional entity mode using the paintinginteraction paradigm;

FIG. 11 illustrates an example user interface of the vehicle componentinterface application illustrating a collection of in-vehicle componentsbeing controlled in the functional entity mode using an exclusion area;

FIG. 12 illustrates an example user interface of the vehicle componentinterface application including an adjustable region of the vehicleaccording to which the output of the in-vehicle components may becontrolled;

FIG. 13 illustrates an example process for displaying indications ofin-vehicle components for collective control by the personal device; and

FIG. 14 illustrates an example process for collectively controlling agroup of in-vehicle components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in variousand alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; somefeatures may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particularcomponents. Therefore, specific structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as arepresentative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the present invention.

Vehicle interior modules, such as reading lights or speakers, may beenhanced with a wireless communication interface such as Bluetooth LowEnergy (BLE). These enhanced modules of the vehicle interior may bereferred to as in-vehicle components. Vehicle occupants may utilizetheir personal devices to control features of the in-vehicle componentsover the communications interface. In an example, a vehicle occupant mayutilize an application installed to the personal device to turn areading light on or off or to adjust a volume of a speaker.

The location of the personal device within the vehicle cabin may bedetermined according to signal strength information between thein-vehicle components and the personal device. Based on the location,the personal device may identify what in-vehicle component features areavailable in the specific seating location of the user, as well as howto interact with the identified features. Accordingly, the personaldevice of the user may become an extension of the vehicle userinterface.

A vehicle component interface application installed to the personaldevice may be used to provide the user interface on the personal devicefor the control of the in-vehicle components. When launched, the vehiclecomponent interface application may detect, locate and display anillustration of the in-vehicle components on an intuitive map of thevehicle.

The vehicle component interface application may support a zone userinterface mode and a functional entity user interface mode. In the zonemode, the user interface may allow the user to interact with thein-vehicle component features in the seating zone in which the user islocated. The zone mode may be useful, in an example, for allowing theuser to change lighting, climate, or other settings specific to theuser's seating zone within the vehicle, without disturbing the settingsof other users.

In the functional entity mode, the user interface may allow the user tointeract with multiple in-vehicle components of a common type offunction across multiple seating zones. The functional entity mode maybe useful, in an example, for combining the functioning of multiplein-vehicle components into a single unit, e.g., to aim several lights orclimate control vents within the vehicle cabin to a specified location.The functional entity mode may further allow for the complex selectionof the in-vehicle components through swipe or other gestures to allowthe user to craft a specific subset of in-vehicle components to becollectively controlled.

FIG. 1A illustrates an example system 100 including a vehicle 102 havinga mesh of in-vehicle components 106 configured to locate and interactwith users and personal devices 104 of the users. The system 100 may beconfigured to allow the users, such as vehicle occupants, to seamlesslyinteract with the in-vehicle components 106 in the vehicle 102 or withany other framework-enabled vehicle 102. Moreover, the interaction maybe performed without requiring the personal devices 104 to have beenpaired with or be in communication with a head unit or other centralizedcomputing platform of the vehicle 102.

The vehicle 102 may include various types of automobile, crossoverutility vehicle (CUV), sport utility vehicle (SUV), truck, recreationalvehicle (RV), boat, plane or other mobile machine for transportingpeople or goods. In many cases, the vehicle 102 may be powered by aninternal combustion engine. As another possibility, the vehicle 102 maybe a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) powered by both an internalcombustion engine and one or more electric motors, such as a serieshybrid electric vehicle (SHEV), a parallel hybrid electrical vehicle(PHEV), or a parallel/series hybrid electric vehicle (PSHEV). As thetype and configuration of vehicle 102 may vary, the capabilities of thevehicle 102 may correspondingly vary. As some other possibilities,vehicles 102 may have different capabilities with respect to passengercapacity, towing ability and capacity, and storage volume.

The personal devices 104-A, 104-B and 104-C (collectively 104) mayinclude mobile devices of the users, and/or wearable devices of theusers. The mobile devices may be any of various types of portablecomputing device, such as cellular phones, tablet computers, smartwatches, laptop computers, portable music players, or other devicescapable of networked communication with other mobile devices. Thewearable devices may include, as some non-limiting examples,smartwatches, smart glasses, fitness bands, control rings, or otherpersonal mobility or accessory device designed to be worn and tocommunicate with the user's mobile device.

The in-vehicle components 106-A through 106-N (collectively 106) mayinclude various elements of the vehicle 102 having user-configurablesettings. These in-vehicle components 106 may include, as some examples,overhead light in-vehicle components 106-A through 106-D, climatecontrol in-vehicle components 106-E and 106-F, seat control in-vehiclecomponents 106-G through 106-J, and speaker in-vehicle components 106-Kthrough 106-N. Other examples of in-vehicle components 106 are possibleas well, such as rear seat entertainment screens or automated windowshades. In many cases, the in-vehicle component 106 may expose controlssuch as buttons, sliders, and touchscreens that may be used by the userto configure the particular settings of the in-vehicle component 106. Assome possibilities, the controls of the in-vehicle component 106 mayallow the user to set a lighting level of a light control, set atemperature of a climate control, set a volume and source of audio for aspeaker, and set a position of a seat.

The vehicle 102 interior may be divided into multiple zones 108, whereeach zone 108 may be associated with a seating position within thevehicle 102 interior. For instance, the front row of the illustratedvehicle 102 may include a first zone 108-A associated with the driverseating position, and a second zone 108-B associated with a frontpassenger seating position. The second row of the illustrated vehicle102 may include a third zone 108-C associated with a driver-side rearseating position and a fourth zone 108-D associated with apassenger-side rear seating position. Variations on the number andarrangement of zones 108 are possible. For instance, an alternate secondrow may include an additional fifth zone 108 of a second-row middleseating position (not shown). Four occupants are illustrated as beinginside the example vehicle 102, three of whom are using personal devices104. A driver occupant in the zone 108-A is not using a personal device104. A front passenger occupant in the zone 108-B is using the personaldevice 104-A. A rear driver-side passenger occupant in the zone 108-C isusing the personal device 104-B. A rear passenger-side passengeroccupant in the zone 108-D is using the personal device 104-C.

Each of the various in-vehicle components 106 present in the vehicle 102interior may be associated with the one or more of the zones 108. Assome examples, the in-vehicle components 106 may be associated with thezone 108 in which the respective in-vehicle component 106 is locatedand/or the one (or more) of the zones 108 that is controlled by therespective in-vehicle component 106. For instance, the light in-vehiclecomponent 106-C accessible by the front passenger may be associated withthe second zone 108-B, while the light in-vehicle component 106-Daccessible by passenger-side rear may be associated with the fourth zone108-D. It should be noted that the illustrated portion of the vehicle102 in FIG. 1A is merely an example, and more, fewer, and/or differentlylocated in-vehicle components 106 and zones 108 may be used.

Referring to FIG. 1B, each in-vehicle component 106 may be equipped witha wireless transceiver 110 configured to facilitate detection of andidentify proximity of the personal devices 104. In an example, thewireless transceiver 110 may include a wireless device, such as aBluetooth Low Energy transceiver configured to enable low energyBluetooth signal intensity as a locator, to determine the proximity ofthe personal devices 104. Detection of proximity of the personal device104 by the wireless transceiver 110 may, in an example, cause a vehiclecomponent interface application 118 of the detected personal device 104to be activated.

In many examples the personal devices 104 may include a wirelesstransceiver 112 (e.g., a BLUETOOTH module, a ZIGBEE transceiver, a Wi-Fitransceiver, an IrDA transceiver, an RFID transceiver, etc.) configuredto communicate with other compatible devices. In an example, thewireless transceiver 112 of the personal device 104 may communicate datawith the wireless transceiver 110 of the in-vehicle component 106 over awireless connection 114. In another example, a wireless transceiver 112of a wearable personal device 104 may communicate data with a wirelesstransceiver 112 of a mobile personal device 104 over a wirelessconnection 114. The wireless connections 114 may be a Bluetooth LowEnergy (BLE) connection, but other types of local wireless connection114, such as Wi-Fi or Zigbee may be utilized as well.

The personal devices 104 may also include a device modem configured tofacilitate communication of the personal devices 104 with other devicesover a communications network. The communications network may providecommunications services, such as packet-switched network services (e.g.,Internet access, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) communicationservices), to devices connected to the communications network. Anexample of a communications network may include a cellular telephonenetwork. To facilitate the communications over the communicationsnetwork, personal devices 104 may be associated with unique deviceidentifiers (e.g., mobile device numbers (MDNs), Internet protocol (IP)addresses, identifiers of the device modems, etc.) to identify thecommunications of the personal devices 104 over the communicationsnetwork. These personal device 104 identifiers may also be utilized bythe in-vehicle component 106 to identify the personal devices 104.

The vehicle component interface application 118 may be an applicationinstalled to the personal device 104. The vehicle component interfaceapplication 118 may be configured to facilitate vehicle occupant accessto features of the in-vehicle components 106 exposed for networkedconfiguration via the wireless transceiver 110. In some cases, thevehicle component interface application 118 may be configured toidentify the available in-vehicle components 106, identify the availablefeatures and current settings of the identified in-vehicle components106, and determine which of the available in-vehicle components 106 arewithin proximity to the vehicle occupant (e.g., in the same zone 108 asthe location of the personal device 104). The vehicle componentinterface application 118 may be further configured to display a userinterface descriptive of the available features, receive user input, andprovide commands based on the user input to allow the user to controlthe features of the in-vehicle components 106. Thus, the system 100 maybe configured to allow vehicle occupants to seamlessly interact with thein-vehicle components 106 in the vehicle 102, without requiring thepersonal devices 104 to have been paired with or be in communicationwith a head unit of the vehicle 102.

The system 100 may use one or more device location-tracking techniquesto identify the zone 108 in which the personal device 104 is located.Location-tracking techniques may be classified depending on whether theestimate is based on proximity, angulation or lateration. Proximitymethods are “coarse-grained,” and may provide information regardingwhether a target is within a predefined range but they do not provide anexact location of the target. Angulation methods estimate a position ofthe target according to angles between the target and referencelocations. Lateration provide an estimate of the target location,starting from available distances between target and references. Thedistance of the target from a reference can be obtained from ameasurement of signal strength 116 over the wireless connection 114between the wireless transceiver 110 of the in-vehicle component 106 andthe wireless transceiver 112 of the personal device 104, or from a timemeasurement of either arrival (TOA) or difference of arrival (TDOA).

One of the advantages of lateration using signal strength 116 is that itcan leverage the already-existing received signal strength indication(RSSI) signal strength 116 information available in many communicationprotocols. For example, iBeacon uses the RSSI signal strength 116information available in the Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) protocol toinfer the distance of a beacon from a personal device 104 (i.e. atarget), so that specific events can be triggered as the personal device104 approaches the beacon. Other implementations expand on the concept,leveraging multiple references to estimate the location of the target.When the distance from three reference beacons are known, the locationcan be estimated in full (trilateration) from the following equations:d ₁ ²=(x−x ₁)²+(y−y ₁)²+(z−z ₁)²d ₂ ²=(x−x ₂)²+(y−y ₂)²+(z−z ₂)²d ₃ ²=(x−x ₃)²+(y−y ₃)²+(z−z ₃)²  (1)

In an example, as shown in FIG. 1C, an in-vehicle component 106-B maybroadcast or otherwise send a request for signal strength 116 to otherin-vehicle components 106-A and 106-C of the vehicle 102. This requestmay cause the other in-vehicle components 106-A and 106-C to returnwireless signal strength 116 data identified by their respectivewireless transceiver 110 for whatever devices they detect (e.g., signalstrength 116-A for the personal device 104 identified by the wirelesstransceiver 110-A, signal strength 116-C for the personal device 104identified by the wireless transceiver 110-C). Using these signalstrengths 116-A and 116-C, as well as signal strength 116-B determinedby the in-vehicle component 106-B using its wireless transceiver 110-B,the in-vehicle component 106-B may use the equations (1) to performtrilateration and locate the personal device 104. As anotherpossibility, the in-vehicle component 106 may identify the personaldevice 104 with the highest signal strength 116 at the in-vehiclecomponent 106 as being the personal device 104 within the zone 108 asfollows:

$\begin{matrix}{{{Personal}\mspace{14mu}{Device}} = \left. i\Rightarrow{\max\limits_{{i = 1},n}\;{RSSI}_{i}} \right.} & (2)\end{matrix}$

Thus, the mesh of in-vehicle components 106 and the personal devices 104may accordingly be utilized to allow the in-vehicle components 106 toidentify in which zone 108 each personal device 104 is located.

To enable tracking of personal devices 104 within the vehicle 102,information descriptive of the location (e.g., zone 108) of eachin-vehicle component 106 relative to the vehicle 102 interior may be tobe broadcast by the in-vehicle components 106 to the other in-vehiclecomponents 106 and personal devices 104. Moreover, to provide statusinformation indicative of the current settings of the in-vehiclecomponents 106, the in-vehicle components 106 may also broadcast statusinformation and/or information indicative of when changes to thesettings of the in-vehicle components 106 are made.

The vehicle component interface application 118 executed by the personaldevice 104 may be configured to scan for and update a data store ofavailable in-vehicle components 106. As some examples, the scanning maybe performed periodically, responsive to a user request to refresh, orupon activation of the vehicle component interface application 118. Inexamples where the scanning is performed automatically, the transitionfrom vehicle 102 to vehicle 102 may be seamless, as the correct set offunctionality is continuously refreshed and the user interface of thevehicle component interface application 118 is updated to reflect thechanges.

In an example, advertising packets in broadcasting mode may be used tocommunicate location, event, or other information from the in-vehiclecomponents 106 to the personal devices 104. This may be advantageous, asthe personal devices 104 may be unable to preemptively connect to eachof the in-vehicle components 106 to receive component information andstatus updates. In an example, the advertisements may be BLEadvertisements, and location, component type, and event information maybe embedded into the primary service universally unique identifier(UUID) that is included in the advertisement packet made by thein-vehicle component 106. By parsing the service UUIDs of theadvertisement data of the in-vehicle component 106, personal devices 104and other in-vehicle components 106 scanning for advertisements may beable to: (i) identify the existence in the vehicle 102 of the in-vehiclecomponent 106, (ii) determine its location and zone 108 within thevehicle 102, and (iii) detect whether a physical interaction has takenplace between a user and the in-vehicle component 106 (e.g., whenchanges are identified to the advertised data).

FIG. 2 illustrates an example user interface 200 of the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 illustrating in-vehicle components106 detected by the personal device 104. As shown, the user interface200 is presented by the vehicle component interface application 118 on adisplay 202 of the personal device 104. The presented user interface 200includes an interior map 204 of the vehicle 102 over which componentindications 206 of the in-vehicle components 106 are displayed. Each ofthe component indications 206 may accordingly indicate a detectedin-vehicle component 106 available for configuration by the user. Theuser interface 200 may further include a legend control 208 includingtype indications 210 for selecting the types of in-vehicle components106 to be displayed over the interior map 204. The user interface 200may also include a zone indication 212 to illustrate in which seatingzone 108 the personal device 104 and user is located, and a title label214 to indicate to the user that the user interface 200 is displaying aninterface of in-vehicle components 106 as detected by the vehiclecomponent interface application 118.

The interior map 204 of the vehicle 102 may illustrate an overhead viewof the interior of the vehicle 102 over which the component indications206 of the in-vehicle components 106 may be drawn in overlay. In anexample, the interior map 204 may be a generic vehicle 102 interiorimage stored to the personal device 104. In another example, theinterior map 104 may be downloaded from a server included within thevehicle 102, or from one of the in-vehicle components 106 configured toserve component information to the personal device 104. In yet anotherexample, the one of the in-vehicle components 106 configured to servecomponent information to the personal device 104 may provide thepersonal device 104 with an identifier of the vehicle 102 (e.g., VIN),or an identifier of the interior map 204 image corresponding to thevehicle 102. This identifier may then be used in a query to a serverexternal to the vehicle 102, which may return the interior map 204 tothe personal device 104.

The component indications 206 may include graphics overlaid on theinterior map 204 at relative locations of the in-vehicle components 106within the vehicle 102. In an example, the location information may beencoded in the service UUIDs of the advertisement data of the in-vehiclecomponent 106. As one possible encoding scheme, two-dimensionalcoordinates of the location of the in-vehicle component 106 may beencoded within the UUID (e.g., as a location in X from 0 being one sizeof the vehicle 102 to 64 being the other side and a location in Y from 0being the front of the vehicle 102 to 64 being the back of the vehicle102). Size and orientation information may also be similarly included inthe UUID. In another example, the one of the in-vehicle components 106configured to serve vehicle 102 information to the personal device 104may provide the personal device 104 with an identifier of the vehicle102 (e.g., VIN) which may be used to query a server external to thevehicle 102 to retrieve the interior locations and dimensions of thein-vehicle components 106.

As shown in the user interface 200, the component indications 206 mayinclude, as some non-limiting examples, light component indications206-A through 206-D, climate control component indications 206-E and206-F, seat control component indications 206-G through 206-J, speakercomponent indications 206-K through 206-N, display component indications206-O through 206-Q, and keyboard component indications 206-R through206-T.

The legend control 208 may include one or more type indications 210,where each type indication 210 corresponds to one of the types ofin-vehicle components 106 that is included within the vehicle 102. In anexample, the type information may be encoded in the service UUIDs of theadvertisement data of the in-vehicle component 106 as mentioned above.For instance, the UUID may include a first predefined type code for aseat control in-vehicle component 106, a second predefined type code fora climate control in-vehicle component 106, a third predefined type codefor a display in-vehicle component 106, a fourth predefined type codefor a light in-vehicle component 106, a fifth predefined type code for aspeaker in-vehicle component 106, and a sixth predefined type code for akeyboard in-vehicle component 106.

The type indications 210 may be labeled according to the type ofin-vehicle components 106 that they represent, and may be userselectable to allow the user to filter which of the in-vehicle component106 are to be overlaid on the interior map 204. In an example, each ofthe type indications 210 may operate at a checkbox control, such thatdisplay or visibility of the component indications 206 of the in-vehiclecomponents 106 of the corresponding type may be toggled responsive touser selection of the type indications 210.

As one non-limiting example, the type indications 210 may include a seattype indication 210-A presented in orange, a climate type indication212-B presented in green, a display type indication 212-C presented inblue, a light type indication 210-C presented in yellow, a speaker typeindication 210-D presented in purple, and a keyboard type indication210-E presented in brown.

To strengthen the interface connection between the type indications 210and the component indications 206, the component indications 206 forin-vehicle components 106 for a given type may be displayed in the samecolor or pattern as the corresponding type indication 210. To continuewith the illustrated example, the light component indications 206-Athrough 206-D may be presented in yellow, the climate control componentindications 206-E and 206-F may be presented in green, the seat controlcomponent indications 206-G through 206-J may be presented in orange,the speaker component indications 206-K through 206-N may be presentedin purple, the display component indications 206-O through 206-Q may bepresented in blue, and the keyboard component indications 206-R through206-T may be presented in brown.

The zone indication 212 may indicate the seating zone 108 in which thepersonal device 104 of the occupant is located. As one example, theseating zone 108 in which the user is located may be displayed as a zonehighlight 212 of that zone 108 on the interior map 204. As shown, thezone indication 212 indicates that the user is located within the reardriver side zone 108-C.

A user of the vehicle component interface application 118 may interactwith the user interface 200 in a zone user interface mode or afunctional entity user interface mode. In the zone mode, the userinterface 200 may allow the user to interact with the in-vehiclecomponent 106 features in the seating zone 108 in which the user islocated. The zone mode may be useful, in an example, for allowing theuser to change lighting, climate, or other settings specific to theuser's seating zone 108 within the vehicle 102, without disturbing thesettings of other users.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user interface 300 of the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 illustrating the selection ofin-vehicle components 106. In an example, the user may select anin-vehicle component 106, for example a light, by clicking on itscomponent indication 206 in the user interface 300 (illustrated asselection 302) or by clicking on the type indication 210 correspondingto the type of in-vehicle component 106 (illustrated as selection 304).For instance, and depending on preferences, the in-vehicle component 106may be selected by either tapping the component indication 206 or thetype indication 210. Alternatively, a tap or long click could be used toindicate whether the user wants to just access the in-vehicle component106, or also activate/deactivate the in-vehicle component 106 in asingle gesture.

Moreover, it should further be noted that in the example user interface300, certain types of in-vehicle components 106 have been deselectedfrom being displayed in overlay. This deselection may be performed, inan example, by a user touching the type indications 210 to toggle offdisplay or visibility of the associated component indications 206. Asshown, the seat type indication 210-A, the climate type indication212-B, the display type indication 212-C, and the a keyboard typeindication 210-E are deselected, thereby hiding the corresponding seat,climate, display, and keyboard component indications 206 from beingdisplayed.

In the functional entity mode, the user interface 200 may allow the userto interact with multiple in-vehicle components 106 of a common type offunction across multiple seating zones 108. The functional entity modemay be useful, in an example, for combining the functioning of multiplein-vehicle components 106 into a single unit, e.g., to aim severallights or climate control vents within the vehicle cabin to a specifiedlocation. The functional entity mode may further allow for the complexselection of the in-vehicle components 106 through swipe or othergestures to allow the user to craft the specific subset of in-vehiclecomponents 106 to be collectively controlled.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example user interface 400 of the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 illustrating selection of in-vehiclecomponents 106 to be controlled in the functional entity mode. As shownin the user interface 400, the user can select a subset of in-vehiclecomponents 106 to interact with by swiping across them. An example swipegesture 402 of a user 404 selecting both light in-vehicle components 106in the second row (e.g., indications 206-B and 206-C in seating zones108-C and 108-D) and is shown in the user interface 400. Once thein-vehicle component(s) 106 have been selected, additional informationcan be rendered to the display 202, depending on the functionalcapabilities of the selected in-vehicle component(s) 106.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example user interface 500 of the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 illustrating a collection ofin-vehicle components 106 being controlled in the functional entitymode. Continuing with the example selection of two light in-vehiclecomponents 106 shown in the user interface 400, the user interface 500illustrates a graphical representation overlaid on the interior map 204of a first output 502-A emanating from the selected indication 306-A andof a second output 502-B emanating from the selected indication 306-B(collectively 502). The user interface 500 may also include componentcontrols 504 for collectively controlling the functionality of thecollection of in-vehicle components 106. The user interface mayadditionally or alternately include a handle control 506 for thecollective aiming of the collection of in-vehicle components 106 to aparticular location.

The outputs 502 may be overlaid in the interior map 204 in accordancewith the current settings of the in-vehicle components 106 beingcontrolled. In an example, the outputs 502 may be light, and the colorof the outputs 502 may be displayed in a color corresponding to thecurrent color of light set for the in-vehicle component 106, the lengthof the outputs 502 may be displayed in a length corresponding to theintensity set for the in-vehicle component 106, and the direction of theoutputs 502 may be displayed in an angle and shape corresponding to theaiming set for the in-vehicle component 106.

The component controls 504 may include one or more controls for theadjustment of the functionality of the collection of in-vehiclecomponents 106 being controlled. Continuing with the light in-vehiclecomponent 106 example, the component controls 504 may include a lightdirection control 504-A for adjusting the aiming of the light in-vehiclecomponents 106, an intensity control 504-B for adjusting the brightnessof the light in-vehicle components 106, and a color control 504-C foradjusting the color of lighting provided by the light in-vehiclecomponents 106. For instance, the user may select one or more of theindications 206 to adjust the settings of the one or more of thein-vehicle components 106, or may adjust the settings of the collectionof in-vehicle components 106 collectively.

In an example, the component controls 504 may be displayed in place ofthe legend control 208, although other layouts possibilities may be usedas well. For example, the component controls 504 may be displayed aboveor below or next to the legend controls 208, as some other possibilities(not shown).

The vehicle component interface application 118 may determine thespecific component controls 504 to display based on information providedby the in-vehicle components 106 to be controlled. In an example,vehicle component interface application 118 may enumerate thecharacteristic UUIDs of the characteristics of the service UUID of thein-vehicle components 106 being controlled, and may decode informationfrom the characteristic UUIDs, such as a listing of names and/oridentifiers of the available features of the in-vehicle component 106and/or information indicative of the current state of the in-vehiclecomponent 106. In another example, the information indicative of theoptions for the component controls 504 may be pre-stored to the personaldevice 104. In yet another example, the information indicative of theoptions for the component controls 504 may be downloaded from a serverincluded within the vehicle 102, or from one of the in-vehiclecomponents 106 configured to serve control information to the personaldevice 104. In yet another example, the one of the in-vehicle components106 configured to serve control information to the personal device 104may provide the personal device 104 with an identifier of the vehicle102 (e.g., VIN), or an identifier of the in-vehicle component 106 ortype corresponding to the in-vehicle component 106. This identifier maythen be used in a query to a server external to the vehicle 102, whichmay return the information indicative of the options for the componentcontrols 504 to the personal device 104.

The light intensity, direction, and color may accordingly be directlycontrolled from the user interface 300 using the component controls 504.Moreover, the collective aiming and intensity of the in-vehiclecomponents 106 may be collectively controlled using the handle control506 as discussed in more detail in combination with FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example user interface 600 of the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 illustrating a collection ofin-vehicle components 106 being controlled in the functional entity modeusing the handle control 506. In an example, the user may drag thehandle control 506 from a first location (e.g., as shown in the userinterface 500) to a new location (e.g., as shown in the user interface600).

Responsive to the location provided to the display 202, the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 may adjust the direction, intensity,spread, and/or other properties of the in-vehicle components 106 toeffect the change in aiming of the collection of in-vehicle components106. For example, to move the aiming of the in-vehicle components 106-Band 106-D from the center of the vehicle 102 to a location in thepassenger read seating zone 108-D, the vehicle component interfaceapplication 118 may increase the intensity of the in-vehicle components106-B that is farther from that location, decrease the intensity of thein-vehicle components 106-D that is closer to that location, and adjustthe aiming of the in-vehicle components 106-B and 106-D direct the lightto the indication location. The outputs 502 overlaid in the interior map204 may also be updated in accordance with the updated settings of thein-vehicle components 106 being controlled. Thus, when integrating amesh of in-vehicle components 106 into a connection in the functionalentity mode, the vehicle component interface application 118 may providethe ability of each in-vehicle component 106 of the collection to becontrolled as a collective group.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example user interface 700 of the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 illustrating an alternate collectionof in-vehicle components 106 being selected using a swipe gesture. Asshown in the user interface 700, the user can select a subset ofin-vehicle components 106 to interact with by swiping in multipledimensions across them. The example swipe gesture 402 selects both lightin-vehicle components 106 in the second row (e.g., indications 206-B and206-C in seating zones 108-C and 108-D) and also a light in-vehiclecomponent 106 in the first row of the vehicle 102, as compared to theswipe 402 illustrated in the user interface 400.

While not shown, in some examples multiple swipe 402 gestures may beused to compose a group of in-vehicle components 106 for control. Forinstance, a first gesture 402 may be used to select a set of in-vehiclecomponents 106, and a second gesture 402 may be used to selectadditional in-vehicle components 106 to be added to the group.

As another example, the vehicle component interface application 118 maysupport both additive and subtractive gestures. For example, a swipe 402gesture of an additive type may be used to add components to a group,and a swipe 402 gesture of a subtractive type may be used to remove oneor more components from the group. As one non-limiting possibility, anadditive swipe may use one finger, and a subtractive swipe may use twofingers.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example user interface 800 of the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 illustrating a collection ofin-vehicle components 106 displayed in the functional entity modewithout the handle control 506. For example, rather than use of thehandle control 506, a painting interaction may be employed tocollectively control the in-vehicle components 106. Similar to asillustrated above with respect to the user interface 400, a user maycreate a group of two light in-vehicle components 106.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example user interface 900 of the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 illustrating a collection ofin-vehicle components 106 being controlled in the functional entity modeusing the painting interaction. As shown, the user interface 900 theuser paints a desired maximum light intensity region 902 onto thedisplay 202 of the user interface 900. The region 902 accordinglyindicates to the vehicle component interface application 118 that thesettings of the collection of in-vehicle components 106 are to beadjusted to provide maximum illumination to the identified region 902.Responsive to the region 902 provided to the display 202, the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 may adjust the direction, intensity,spread, and/or other properties of the in-vehicle components 106 toeffect the change in aiming of the collection of in-vehicle components106.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface 1000 of the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 illustrating a collection ofin-vehicle components 106 having been adjusted in the functional entitymode using the painting interaction paradigm. As shown in the userinterface 1000, the vehicle component interface application 118increased the intensity of the in-vehicle component 106-B that isfarther from that location, and adjusted the aiming of the in-vehiclecomponents 106-B and 106-D direct the light to the painted location.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example user interface 1100 of the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 illustrating a collection ofin-vehicle components 106 being controlled in the functional entity modeusing an exclusion area. In the exclusion area paradigm, the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 may offer an option of a negativebrush or location, for which the user could input an exclusion area orlocation from which the light from the in-vehicle components 106 shouldbe excluded. As shown, the user interface 100 includes an exclusionhandle control 1102 for the collective aiming of the collection ofin-vehicle components 106 away from a particular location. This may beuseful, for example, to direct light away from a display of a device, orin the event of a passenger desiring a darker seating zone 108 in orderto rest.

Similar to as discussed above with respect to the handle 506, responsiveto the input provided using the exclusion handle control 1102, thevehicle component interface application 118 may adjust the direction,intensity, spread, and/or other properties of the in-vehicle components106 to effect the change in aiming of the collection of in-vehiclecomponents 106. For example, to move the aiming of the in-vehiclecomponents 106-A, 106-B, 106-C, and 106-D away from the indicatedlocation, the vehicle component interface application 118 may adjust theaiming, spread, and/or intensity of the in-vehicle components 106-A,106-B, 106-C, and 106-D direct the light away from the indicationlocation.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example user interface 1200 of the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 including an adjustable region 1202of the vehicle 102 according to which the output of the in-vehiclecomponents 106-A, 106-B, 106-C, and 106-D may be controlled. Theadjustable region 1202 may allow the user to specify a portion of thecabin of the vehicle 102 from which light or other output may bedirected or excluded. The user interface 1200 may be displayed in anexample, responsive to the user selecting in-vehicle components 106 forcollective control. In another example, the user interface 1200 may bedisplayed responsive to user selection of an option to adjust thein-vehicle components 106 according to an adjustable region 1202.

A user may use gesture input to adjust various attributes of theadjustable region 1202. These attributes may include, for example,location, width, height, and orientation. For instance, adjustments tothe height or width of the adjustable region 1202 may be performed usingpinch gestures in which two fingers are placed on the adjustable region1202 are and spread apart to increase the size of the region 1202 or aremoved towards one another to decrease the size of the region 1202. Or,adjustments to an edge of the adjustable region 1202 may be performed bydragging gestures performed by placing a finger onto a side of theadjustable region 1202 to be moved, moving the side to the new location,and releasing the finger. Or, the orientation of the adjustable region1202 may be adjusted by a user placing two fingers into the region androtating the fingers to perform a corresponding rotation to theadjustable region 1202. As some other possibilities, a user may draw theadjustable region 1202 by using a finger to draw a boundary completelyenclosing an area to be adjusted, or by painting a filled area to beadjusted.

Once drawn, the adjustable region 1202 may be activated by an areaactivation gesture. In an example, a user may tap within the adjustableregion 1202 to activate the adjustable region 1202 for use in directingof output from the selected in-vehicle components 106 into theadjustable region 1202. As another example, a single tap within theadjustable region 1202 may activate the adjustable region 1202 fordirecting output from the selected in-vehicle components 106 into theadjustable region 1202, while a double tap within the adjustable region1202 may activate the adjustable region for excluding output from theselected in-vehicle components 106 out of the adjustable region 1202. Asyet a further example, selection of the adjustable region 1202 fordirecting output into the region 1202 may be indicated by a tap with asingle finger, while selection of the adjustable region 1202 forexcluding output from the region 1202 may be indicated by a tap from twofingers.

It should be noted that while many of the examples described hereinrelate to light in-vehicle controls 106, it should be noted that thedisclosure applies to other types of vehicle interior functionscharacterized by directionality, intensity and spread, such as climatecontrol air output 502 from air vents or sound output 502 from speakers.Depending on the specific type of in-vehicle components 106 that arebeing controlled, the relationship between intensity and distance forthe output 502 may change. Such output 502 relationship may be pre-codedinto the vehicle component interface application 118 or may be providedby the in-vehicle components 106 similar to as discussed above withrespect to the providing of the information for display andconfiguration of the component controls 504.

Moreover, while in many examples the vehicle component interfaceapplication 118 is described as adjusting the specific intensity,spread, and/or location of the in-vehicle components 106, in otherexamples, the vehicle component interface application 118 may insteadprovide information to the in-vehicle components 106 specifying thedesired coordinate location to provide or not provide output 502, wherethe in-vehicle components 106 determine themselves how to self-adjustintensity, aim, spread, etc. in accordance with the provided locationcoordinates. As one non-limiting possibility, these coordinates may beprovided to the in-vehicle components 106 in an encoding similar to thatused for the encoding of location information in the UUID information ofthe in-vehicle component 106.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example process 1300 for displaying indicationsof in-vehicle components 106 for collective control by the personaldevice 104. The process 1300 may be performed, in an example, by thevehicle component interface application 118 executed by the personaldevice 104 of the user.

At operation 1302, the personal device 104 detects the in-vehiclecomponents 106 of the zone 108 of the vehicle 102. In an example, thevehicle component interface application 118 may identify what in-vehiclecomponents 106 are available within the vehicle 102 according to theadvertisements of the in-vehicle components 106 identified using thewireless transceiver 112 of the personal device 104.

At 1304, the process 1300 determines the seating location of the userwithin the vehicle 102. In an example, signal strength 116 informationbetween the personal device 104 and the in-vehicle components 106 may beutilized to detect the location of the personal device 104. In manyexamples, the determination of the zone 108 may be performed by thevehicle component interface application 118. In another example, thedetermination may be performed by one or more of the in-vehiclecomponents 106 of the vehicle 102, and may be indicated to the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 of the personal device 104.

At operation 1306, the personal device 104 identifies the interior map204 of the vehicle 102. In an example, the interior map 204 may be ageneric vehicle 102 interior image or previously downloaded imageretrieved from the storage of the personal device 104. In anotherexample, the interior map 104 may be downloaded from a server includedwithin the vehicle 102, or from one of the in-vehicle components 106configured to serve component information to the personal device 104. Inyet another example, the one of the in-vehicle components 106 configuredto serve component information to the personal device 104 may providethe personal device 104 with an identifier of the vehicle 102 (e.g.,VIN), or an identifier of the interior map 204 image corresponding tothe vehicle 102. This identifier may then be used in a query to a serverexternal to the vehicle 102, which may return the interior map 204 tothe personal device 104.

In 1308, the personal device 104 generates the component indications 206for overlay over the interior map 204. In an example, the componenttypes, locations and/or dimensions of the component indications 206 maybe identified according to location information decoded from the serviceUUIDs of the advertisement data of the corresponding in-vehiclecomponents 106. In another example, one of the in-vehicle components 106configured to serve vehicle 102 information to the personal device 104may provide the personal device 104 with an identifier of the vehicle102 (e.g., VIN) which may be used to query a server external to thevehicle 102 to retrieve the interior locations and dimensions of thein-vehicle components 106. The component indications 206 may further begenerated in colors or patterns according to the types of the in-vehiclecomponents 106. The vehicle component interface application 118 may alsogenerate a legend control 208, such that each type indication 210 in thelegend control 208 corresponds to one of the types of in-vehiclecomponents 106, and is rendered in the same color or pattern as in whichthe component indications 206 of that type are rendered.

The personal device 104 sends the interior map 204 and componentindications 206 for overlay to the display 202 at operation 1310.Examples of the displayed content include the user interfaces 200-1200described in detail above.

At operation 1312, the personal device 104 determines whether thecomponent indications 206 should be updated. In an example, the user mayhave selected to toggle the display or visibility of a type of componentindications 206 by selecting one of the type indications 210 from thelegend control 208. In another example, the personal device 104 mayre-detect the in-vehicle components 106 of the vehicle 102, and maydetermine that one or more in-vehicle components 106 has been added orremoved. If the component indications 206 should be updated, controlpasses to operation 1308. Otherwise, control remains at operation 1312.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example process 1400 for collectively controllinga group of in-vehicle components 106. The process 1400 may be performed,for example, by the personal device 104 displaying a user interfaceaccording to the process 1300.

In operation 1402, the personal device 104 determines whether gestureinput selecting component indications 206 is received. In an example,the vehicle component interface application 118 may receive one or moregestures 402 from a user selecting in-vehicle components 106 from thedisplay 202. The gestures 402 may include, for example, additivegestures 402 to add components to a group, and subtractive gestures 402to remove one or more components from the group. Example gestures 402are illustrated in the user interfaces 400 and 700. If one or moregestures 402 are received, the vehicle component interface application118 determines the in-vehicle components 106 included within theselection at operation 1404. After operation 1404, control returns tooperation 1402. If no new gestures 402 are received, control passes tooperation 1406.

At 1406, the personal device 104 displays component controls 504 for theselected component indications 206. In an example, the vehicle componentinterface application 118 may display the component controls 504 inplace of the legend control 208, although other layouts possibilitiesmay be used as well. The vehicle component interface application 118 mayfurther determine the specific component controls 504 to display basedon information provided by the in-vehicle components 106 to becontrolled, e.g., according to an enumeration of the characteristicUUIDs of the characteristics of the service UUID of the in-vehiclecomponents 106 being controlled, by downloaded the information from aserver included within or external to the vehicle 102, or by downloadingthe information from one of the in-vehicle components 106 configured toserve control information to the personal device 104. State informationfor the component controls 504 may also be retrieved by the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 from the in-vehicle components 106for presentation in the user interface.

The personal device 104 determines whether input to the componentcontrols 504 is received at operation 1408. If input is received to oneor more of the component controls 504, the vehicle component interfaceapplication 118 passes control to operation 1410. Otherwise, controlpasses to operation 1412.

At operation 1410, the one or more of the component controls 504 beingcontrolled is updated with the user input. In an example, if the colorof light to be provided by the in-vehicle components 106 is updated, thevehicle component interface application 118 applies the color selectionto each of the in-vehicle components 106 of the selected group. Afteroperation 1410, control passes to operation 1402.

At 1412, the personal device 104 determines whether location input isreceived to the interior map 204. In an example, the vehicle componentinterface application 118 may receive input from the handle control 506from a user performing collective aiming of the collection of in-vehiclecomponents 106 to a particular location. In another example, the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 may receive input from the userpainting a desired maximum light intensity region 902, or a region 1202in which light is not preferred. If a location is received, controlpasses to operation 1414. Otherwise, control passes to operation 1402.

At operation 1414, the personal device 104 aims outputs of the selectedin-vehicle components 105 based on the received location. In an example,responsive to the location provided to the display 202, the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 may adjust the direction, intensity,spread, and/or other properties of the in-vehicle components 106 toeffect the change in aiming of the collection of in-vehicle components106. The adjustments may be made, for example, based on intensity anddistance relationship information be pre-coded into the vehiclecomponent interface application 118 or provided by the in-vehiclecomponents 106 to the personal device 104. After operation 1414, controlpasses to operation 1402.

Computing devices described herein, such as the personal devices 104 andin-vehicle components 106, generally include computer-executableinstructions, where the instructions may be executable by one or morecomputing devices such as those listed above. Computer-executableinstructions may be compiled or interpreted from computer programscreated using a variety of programming languages and/or technologies,including, without limitation, and either alone or in combination,Java™, C, C++, C#, Visual Basic, Java Script, Perl, etc. In general, aprocessor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions, e.g., from amemory, a computer-readable medium, etc., and executes theseinstructions, thereby performing one or more processes, including one ormore of the processes described herein. Such instructions and other datamay be stored and transmitted using a variety of computer-readablemedia.

With regard to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc.,described herein, it should be understood that, although the steps ofsuch processes, etc., have been described as occurring according to acertain ordered sequence, such processes could be practiced with thedescribed steps performed in an order other than the order describedherein. It further should be understood that certain steps could beperformed simultaneously, that other steps could be added, or thatcertain steps described herein could be omitted. In other words, thedescriptions of processes herein are provided for the purpose ofillustrating certain embodiments, and should in no way be construed soas to limit the claims.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended thatthese embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather,the words used in the specification are words of description rather thanlimitation, and it is understood that various changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may becombined to form further embodiments of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a personal device includinga display; and a processor, programmed to send, to the display, avehicle interior map overlaid with indications of in-vehicle components,create a group of the in-vehicle components responsive to a gesture tothe display selecting a subset of the indications, receive input fromthe display of a location on the map, and aim outputs of the in-vehiclecomponents of the group based on the location.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the processor is further programmed to: generate a first settingadjustment to a first in-vehicle component of the group to aim output ofthe first in-vehicle component; and generate a second setting adjustmentto a second in-vehicle component of the group to aim output of thesecond in-vehicle component, the second setting adjustment beingdifferent from the first setting adjustment.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the location on the map is a location to which outputs of thein-vehicle components of the group are to be aimed, and the processor isfurther programmed to adjust spread, intensity and direction of theoutputs of the in-vehicle components of the group toward the location.4. The system of claim 1, wherein the location on the map is a locationto which outputs of the in-vehicle components of the group are to avoid,and the processor is further programmed to adjust spread, intensity anddirection of the outputs of the in-vehicle components of the group awayfrom the location.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor isfurther programmed to send to the display a legend including typeindications of the in-vehicle components, each type indicationcorresponding to one of a plurality of component types and beingrendered in a different color or pattern, each component being of one ofthe plurality of component types, and each component indication beingdisplayed in the color or pattern of the corresponding type indication.6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further programmedto: receive input from the display to one of the type indications; andresponsive to the input, toggle visibility of the in-vehicle componentsof the type corresponding to the one of the type indications.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed todisplay output indications overlaid on the vehicle interior mapemanating from the in-vehicle components and indicative of intensity anddirection of the output of the in-vehicle components.
 8. The system ofclaim 7, wherein the output indications indicate one of light output,climate control air output, or sound output.
 9. The system of claim 1,wherein the processor is further programmed to specify the location asan adjustable region according to one or more of: (i) a size of theadjustable region defined according to input of a pinch gesture to thedisplay; (ii) a placement of the adjustable region defined according toinput of a drag gesture to the display; and (iii) an orientation of theadjustable region defined according to input of a rotation gesture tothe display.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is furtherprogrammed to: activate the adjustable region as a location to whichoutputs of the in-vehicle components of the group are to be aimedresponsive to receipt of gesture input of a first type to the display;and activate the adjustable region as a location to which outputs of thein-vehicle components of the group are to avoid responsive to receipt ofgesture input of a second type different from the first type.